Top Ten Zen #4: The Past Unbounded

Hi blog,

We're still going strong with our Zen series! I'm pleased with the productivity, so let me showcase our continued work ethic to you now!

Top Ten Zen

Andrew and Nick have compiled a list of Zen-like philosophies comprised firstly of a quote, an interpretation of said quote, and finally a story to drive their point home. This list can aid you in doing anything from completing a 100-mile race to surviving cancer, or obtaining any goal you set your mind to. 

Here are the previous posts for those who missed them:

1. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
2. Body follows mind
3. The faster you hurry, the slower you go

A crash from the past

"You are not bound by your past."

The Survivor’s Take:  It’s easy to get caught up with the perceived failures of the past and all the pain that you’ve dealt with. But the past exists as a separate entity, it can only affect you if you let it.

The Runner’s Take:  Don’t let past races, past performances or past climbs and descents decide the outcome of your present race.

Survivor’s Tales:  In my attempts to rebuild my life after cancer I have tried multiple times to return to school, with only limited success. My first attempt ended in hospitalization caused by a series of events set in motion by a nasty car crash. After a year of recovery I started taking classes at University of California Riverside, only to have my ankle collapse in less than a month, forcing me to withdraw. I spent the next three years taking community college classes before I felt ready to face university again. UC San Diego accepted me and I managed to stay for a whole three weeks before I got a call I’d been waiting ten months for, confirmation of a knee transplant. Once again, I left. Despite being forced to withdraw three times from school, I am still working toward getting back into a four-year university. I refuse to let my fears of another problem bully me into quitting. I have no intentions of succumbing to those thoughts, because my past can only affect me if I let it.

Mountain Tales:  Around 31 miles into Ronda del Cims, I’d gained on 7th, 6th and 5th place. I’d even managed to squeeze my way into 4th at the top of a climb called Bony de la Pica. I used everything I had to stay ahead of 5th place while I could. I fought him off, but in the end he passed me while descending down to the 48 mile aid station. Along the descent, 6th place passed me back and 7th was closing in quickly. It felt like all the effort I’d spent was for nothing. I arrived at the aid station only seconds off from all three runners, who were now blazing on ahead. I felt hopeless. I thought for a moment that if they were able to pass me once, they’d just do it again and that I’d best just settle into 7th while I could. I didn’t accept that though, I couldn’t. Our positions were not determined by a single descent. I had the rest of the race to decide my outcome. I was in control. Within 20 miles, I’d caught them all again and passed them with ease. I charged on ahead carving my own outcome and race.

A pass from the past

Of course, just because we are sharing our own extreme examples does not mean that these philosophies are all strictly for extreme situations. We share these because they can be used by anyone in the proper situations and we invite you, dear reader, to take these helpful tips into the world to use as you see fit. Feel free to hoard them or share them with others. It is both of our hope that these do some good somewhere, and so we wish you luck in your journey of a thousand Zen-filled steps.

Nick Hollon

Andrew Bundy

Top Ten Zen #2: Body Follows Mind

Hey blog,

Ready for the second installment of Top Ten Zen?

Top Ten Zen

Andrew and Nick have compiled a list of Zen-like philosophies comprised firstly of a quote, an interpretation of said quote, and finally a story to drive their point home. This list can aid you in doing anything from completing a 100-mile race to surviving cancer, or obtaining any goal you set your mind to. 

I think I can I think I can...

"Body follows mind."

The Survivor’s Take: Life is mental (I did a post about this subject a couple months back. You can read it here: Life is Mental). Your body’s true limits are set by the brain. By manipulating your thoughts, you can achieve much more than you ever thought possible.

The Runner’s Take: Lore of Running by Tim Noakes and Matt Fitzgerald’s book Brain Training both speak to the concept of mind over matter. This belief states that your brain acts as the ‘central governor’ of your entire body and in endurance events ultimately controls how fast you can go and how much you can endure.

Survivor’s Tales: When I was dying in the hospital in May of 2008, my body shutting down and rapidly deteriorating, the doctors gave me a couple weeks to live, and everyone knew it. The only person totally oblivious to the dire news was…me. I had no idea how bad I was, so I thought: “You know, this sucks, but I’m going to get out of this and then we’ll be done with all this silliness.” (Much stronger language was likely used.) Because I didn’t know how bad I was doing, I believed I would survive, and guess what? I did! Despite a less than 10% chance of survival I didn’t give in and I didn’t give up. I inadvertently lied to myself that things would be okay and my brain shrugged its metaphorical shoulders and agreed with me, dragging my reluctant body along with it. Whether you lie to yourself or you actually believe you can achieve more than you or anyone else thinks, your brain has an astounding capacity to overachieve and push beyond the limits of what is deemed possible.

Mountain Tales: During my most recent 100-miler (Ronda del Cims) I experienced first-hand what many runners call “smelling the barn.” It’s that strange phenomena that occurs when we ultrarunners approximate the finish line of a race and feel a sudden ‘boost’ in our speed and endurance in spite of fatigue. In my case, I was about 10 kilometers off from the finish line and running neck and neck with my friend and contender for 3rd place. We’d heard 2nd place was only about ten minutes ahead of us and with 10 kilometers to go, he was within what my brain decided was striking distance. Despite the 40,000+ feet of climbing, 100 miles and 30+ hours on my legs, I sped up and sped up fast. Within 5 kilometers I had 2nd place in my line of sight and steadied myself, preparing for a swift and merciless strike. I proved that my mind’s drive to compete was capable of overriding my body’s immense fatigue.

Yikes. I think I can I think I can...

Just to add an extra "oomph" to our point, I recently read this article after hearing about it in a book. It emphasizes and proves the very point the two of us made in the above stories, and proves just how astounding both the human body and mind can be:

A Little Deception Helps Push Athletes to the Limit

Of course, just because we are sharing our own extreme examples does not mean that these philosophies are all strictly for extreme situations. We share these because they can be used by anyone in the proper situations and we invite you, dear reader, to take these helpful tips into the world to use as you see fit. It is both of our hope that these do some good somewhere, and so we wish you luck in your journey of a thousand Zen-filled steps.

Nick Hollon

Andrew Bundy

Top Ten Zen #1: A Single Step

Hi blog (and others),

For the next week and a half you will get to read a co-authored list of "Top Ten Zen" philosophies penned by myself and Nick Hollon. "What's that all about?" I hear you asking (my hearing is exceptional, watch out). Well, how about you read the thing below this and find out?

Top Ten Zen

The authors of this ten-part series are close friends who have worked together on numerous collaborations in the past, and thus decided, “Hey, what’s one more?”

The idea for this Top Ten Zen list came into being after Nick returned from a 100-mile race in the Pyrenees and told Andrew about his fantastical experience using Zen teachings and positive thoughts to help him get through his grueling race. To Nick’s surprise, Andrew proceeded to explain that many of these concepts Nick found in a book were similar to ones he used to battle both cancer and the cure. After much head scratching, the two of them produced “Top Ten Zen,” which includes Zen quotes as well as personal interpretations and stories.

They have compiled a list comprised firstly of a quote, either concocted by the authors or someone else, an interpretation of said quote, and finally a story to drive the point home. By putting their work side by side for comparison, the authors offer a preview into their books, Ultra Souls: The Tale of Mr. 3000 and Life Has No Title.

These Top Ten Zen-like philosophies can aid you in doing anything from completing a 100-mile race to surviving cancer, or obtaining any goal you set your mind to.

“Vell,” Andrew said in a suspect German accent, “It is about time ve start Zen.” Nick groaned.

One step at a time

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

The Survivor’s Take: Tackling a large problem, whether it be treatment or planning for the future, is far easier if you break it up into smaller problems and take them on one at a time.

The Runner’s Take: Break down the race into smaller segments, don’t try to take on the whole distance at once.

Survivor’s Tales: I’ve had a lot of surgeries. I mean a lot. To date, I’ve had seven major surgeries on seven different joints (one joint was done twice and two were done at the same time), plus a slightly less major one to fix a tear in my abdominal wall. I knew I was going to be in for a rough ride almost from the get go when I found out that my bones were degenerating and my joints disintegrating. The overwhelming anxiety of all the upcoming replacements acted as a crippling force for months until I trained myself not to look at the whole picture of replacing anywhere from two to eight joints, but instead just one surgery at a time. And wouldn’t you know it, shortly afterward my stress and depression began to lessen (with a bit of help) and I didn’t feel so scared about these life-changing events that would soon take place one by one until I was a cyborg of epic proportions.

Mountain Tales: Two weeks ago I participated in Ronda del Cims, Europe’s most intimidating and difficult 100-mile footrace. And 100 miles is a hell of long way to go for anyone, especially when you throw the endless rocks, tree roots and mountain passes that I encountered throughout the race. So how do you overcome that? You break it up. Never once did I think about the fact that I was running a 100 miles, no I was running to the next aid station, headed to the next climb or sometimes even just taking the next step. By making the race bite size and taking it on piece by piece, you’ll find yourself running happier and more efficiently than ever before.

Waiting for cyborg part 6 of 8

Of course, just because we are sharing our own extreme examples does not mean that these philosophies are all strictly for extreme situations. We share these because they can be used by anyone in the proper situations and we invite you (the reader) to take these helpful tips into the world to use as you see fit. It is both mine and Nick's hope that these do some good somewhere, and so we wish you luck in your journey of a thousand Zen-filled steps.

Andrew Bundy
Nick Hollon